An 89-year-old client recently lost his wife of 69 years to ...

[schs14]

An 89-year-old client recently lost his wife of 69 years to cancer. He reports I had the strangest thing happen to me last night. I woke up and saw my wife sitting in her chair. The nurse's best response would be:
 
  a. How long have you been hallucinating?
  b. Hallucinations are often caused by disturbance in brain chemicals.
  c. Hearing or seeing things that are not real can be a normal response to extreme stress.
  d. I recommend you speak to your doctor to review your medications.

Question 2

When evaluating care of dying clients, the nurse recognizes that interventions have been unsuccessful if the
 
  a. client does not get past the stage of denial.
  b. client dies in peace surrounded by loved ones.
  c. client dies while experiencing pain.
  d. nurse refuses to allow the client to be sad.

[brbarasa]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: C
In the shock and disbelief phase, a newly bereaved person may feel alienated or detached from normalliterally numb with shock; no tears, no feelings, just absolute numbness. Seeing or hearing the lost person, or sensing his or her presence, is a normal, temporary altered sensory experience related to the loss, which should not be confused with psychotic hallucinations.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: D
The concept of grief describes the personal emotions and adaptive process a person goes through in recovering from loss. Common feelings include sadness and an acute awareness of the void accompanied by recurring, wavelike feelings of sadness and loss. Some clients cope by remaining in the denial stage. This is the client's right. When a client dies in peace surrounded by loved ones, it is evidence of successful interventions. Sometimes a peaceful death is not possible, but that does not mean the intervention was ineffective.

[schs14]

Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it

[FergA]

TYSM